What does weeing mean?
Weeing is a chiefly Scottish English verb meaning “to weep” or “to cry.” It is the present participle and gerund of wee, a verb distinct in modern Scottish usage from the familiar adjective wee, meaning “small.” The word appears in Scottish writing and conversation, often in descriptions of children crying, although its sound and spelling may be unfamiliar to many speakers of standard British or American English. Because weeing retains a strong regional character, it can sound vivid, traditional, or even literary when encountered in less familiar contexts. Its longest vowel is ordinarily pronounced like the vowel in we, and the ending rhymes with seeing. Outside Scotland, the form is best understood as a regional equivalent of weeping or crying rather than as a separate modern standard-English term.
verbTo weep or cry. In modern usage, the word is chiefly associated with Scottish English.
- To weep or cry.
"The bairn stopped weeing when she heard her mother's voice."
"The child was weeing after losing his toy."
"She heard the baby weeing in the next room."
Weeing preserves a distinctly Scottish meaning of weep, with an unusually open 'ee' vowel and a nasal ending.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of weeing
Weeing derives from Scots wee, “to weep or cry,” a word ultimately related to Old English wēpan, “to lament, mourn, or weep.” Scots developed its own pronunciation and spelling while preserving the inherited Germanic root. The modern verb sense is best documented in Scottish English, although related forms occur in other northern British English dialects.
Related word forms
How weeing is actually used
This is an uncommon Scottish English verb. It is familiar in Scottish writing and speech but may sound archaic or regional to speakers of standard British and American English.
Easily confused with weeing
As a Scots adjective, wee means small, whereas as a verb it means to weep; the form weeing is the verb's present participle.
Wetting means making something moist, while weeing specifically means weeping or crying.